Breakdown of Den misstänkte lär plundra ön där myteristen vilar.
vila
to rest
ön
the island
den
the (with en-words)
där
where (relative)
misstänkt
suspected
lär
is said to / is likely to
plundra
to plunder
myteristen
the mutineer
Questions & Answers about Den misstänkte lär plundra ön där myteristen vilar.
If we wanted to talk about the treasure of the island where the mutineer rests, how would we apply the phrasal genitive to this sentence?
You add the -s to the very last word of the entire noun phrase, even if that word is a verb! The phrase is ön där myteristen vilar. To say its treasure, you attach the -s directly to the verb vilar, making it ön där myteristen vilars skatt. While native speakers sometimes rephrase to avoid this sound, it is a perfectly correct example of the Swedish phrasal genitive.
Why is lär translated as 'is likely to' here instead of 'learns'?
When used as a modal verb followed by an infinitive like plundra, lär means 'is likely to', 'is bound to', or 'is said to'. It expresses an assumption or hearsay. While it shares a root with the verb att lära (to learn/teach), its function here is different and it never takes the infinitive marker att.
Why does misstänkte end in -e instead of -a?
The word misstänkt is a participle acting as a noun. In the definite singular, adjectives and participles referring to a male person traditionally take an -e ending instead of -a. However, den misstänkte has become the fixed standard legal term for 'the suspect' regardless of the person's actual gender.
Why do we use där instead of the relative pronoun som to connect the two parts of the sentence?
We use där (where) because it refers to a physical location where an action simply happens. If we used som (that/which), the island would need to be the direct object of the relative clause, such as in ön som myteristen plundrade (the island that the mutineer plundered).
Learn Den misstänkte lär plundra ön där myteristen vilar and more in Swedish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free